Saturday, 9 January 2016

This season I see a lot
of “what should I watch this season?” As someone who watches anime premieres
for funsies, I thought I’d give my two cents on the premieres I’ve seen if it
helps at all.

Lupin III Part 4 Ep. 1-5:
Technically not a show to premiere in Japan this season. This series has had a
bit of an odd release schedule. It was actually scheduled to air in Spring 2015
in Italy but got delayed until late August. It premiered in Japan in October
before FINALLY premiering to English speaking audiences a few days ago. If you
haven’t check it out yet, I highly
recommend you do!

Myriad Colors Phantom
World 1: This series had a colorful start only to give way to the light novel clichés
which it fails to even do well. The animation is fluid but that’s really all it
has going for it. It’s self aware that it’s bad and continues to be despite
that. You can probably give this one a pass.

Ojisan to Marshmallow 1:
It’s about an overweight man who loves marshmallows and a woman who wants to do
the diddlydoo with him. That’s literally all there is to this. At 3 minutes I
found it entertaining enough.

Oshiete! Galko-chan 1: If
you have the humor of a 5 year old you will likely enjoy this. Needless to say,
I was laughing the whole way through.

Pandora Crimson Shell:
Ghost Urn 1: It is trash that I have no intention of returning to. It’s
somewhat watchable at least, in that way watching a train wreck unfolding would
be. Really though, there are so many other things in this world you could be
watching other than this.

Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R
1: I admit, once it got rolling, I was entertained if only for the references
to classic anime. Before it does entertain, though, it feels the need to mock
every cliché from this type of show which bored me to tears.

Haruchika 1: The
surprisingly positive representation of the LGBT community at the very end of
the episode caught me off guard. It’s rare to see a protagonist who’s gay/bi/pan/etc.
in animation who isn’t either meant to inspire fanfiction or to be mocked. In
fact, I’ll likely continue watching simply to see where it goes from there.

Showa Genroku Rakugo
Shinju 1: I’ve already seen this 48 minute premiere twice. Once alone and once
with a family member and enjoyed it both times. Far and away the biggest
standout, thus far, this season, I cannot wait for more.

Erased 1: This made some
good use of minimalism in some shots. That being said, the protagonist is
grating with his internal monologues. Really, it’s the supporting cast that
made this premiere shine. The plot is certainly compelling as well to an
extent. I can kind of guess how it’ll unravel but given the more grim nature. I
think waiting for it to finish and then having a marathon would be the best way
to watch this show.

Tabi Machi Late Show 1:
This series has by far been the least talked about on social media. It has
Comix Wave’s practically trademark limited animation. The story is touching in
the premiere. It manages to cover a lot of ground in its 7 minutes. This series
is only going to be 4 episodes and will apparently be part of the “Comix Wave
Omnibus.”

Sekko Boys 1: For lovers
of guilty pleasure shows, Sekko Boys with what appears to be either very
detailed or photoshopped statues is the go to show this season! It’s part of
the Ultra Super Anime Time block in Japan which has produced some very
entertaining comedies since it debuted last July and this certainly follows in
that tradition.

Norn9 1: Complete with a
name a ten year old would come up with, Norn9 has surprisingly detailed
backgrounds. That’s really the only highlight of this first episode. Otherwise
it is very much a copy and paste video game anime adaptation.

Prince of Stride
Alternative 1: This series has some talent behind it, surprisingly, and it
makes the end product look super stylish. Honestly, both writing and visually I
was impressed by this premiere and am very much looking forward to more.

Bubuki Buranki 1: The character
CG is laughable but the story is more than enough to carry this premiere. This
is probably more a series for more mainstream anime fans and I feel it will
succeed to that end. It really isn’t my cup of tea though I feel it’d be best
watch with friends as it feels like a Hollywood flick.

Before I finish this I feel it’s
worth mentioning there were a few shows that premiered that I couldn’t even
finish: Girls in the Wastelands is probably the most painful premiere thus far
this season. Phantasy Star Online 2 the Animation comes from the school of thought
that it need not put in an ounce of effort and still succeed and needless to
say it fails dismally for it. I will write up other premieres I watch at a
later point so I guess that will be a part 2.

Tuesday, 5 January 2016

Happy New Year to all! Here’s
another spree of meandering writings about what I was reading and watching over
the holidays.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure seasons
1-3: After my Black Butler marathon I thought I would follow it up with another
homoerotic shonen series and sunk my teeth into Jojo. With Diamond is
Unbreakable start in a few months which was certainly being a motivator. With
Jojo being the series it is of course they kill my beloved Iggy the dog. At
least they give him and the other characters that kicked the bucket in this
part a Lion King send off. Stardust Crusaders is my least favorite of the Jojo
parts to date, with how long it is and its less than stellar finale, though it
too is a really good series in its own way. There are lots of creative ideas
and cheesy moments in the third part so it certainly has its positives. Part
two Jojo is rather frustrating as a character but again that’s probably more of
a personal taste for protagonists.

Cuticle Detcetive Inaba vol. 1
& 2: I was surprised by how much I liked this series. I admit to not being
the biggest fan of the anime with how it rushes through scenes but the source
material never feels rushed despite the episodic nature of the first volume or
so. I think the clincher was when they finally introduced the true antagonist
who gives the series more of an overarching and somewhat compelling plot.

Nanbaka vol. 1: It takes the
volume forever and a day to truly introduce the cast much of the book meanders
from gag to gag only at the end revealing the protagonist’s motivation. There
isn’t a whole lot else to bring up about this series apart from the bright,
vivid colors which compelled me to continue.